Welcome to my blog. This blog is all about writing tips for writers and teachers of writing. Twice monthly, I will address one aspect of writing. I will also post tips about no-fee contests and calls for submissions by publishers.
If you would like to know more about me or my books, check out my website at www.nancykellyallen.com

Nancy's Books

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Readers love to see a character overcome hardships that result in a happy ending. So what are some ways to accomplish that as a writer?

Allow the characters
to make poor decisions and suffer the consequences of their actions. After all,
the goal is to have the character grow and learn from the mistakes.

Give the characters
phobias or habits that can become handicaps in their quest to solve the
problem.

Give the characters
difficult choices to make. The choices force the character to face
transformation and change. Make the stakes high but the consequences even
higher so the character is compelled to move forward and transform.

Following
high-tension scenes, allow some calm to float such as the character eating a
meal or playing with a dog or child.

Use foreshadowing to
hint of a potential problem ahead.

Develop a compelling
protagonist so the reader will have empathy as s/he mires through the dire
straits you have established. The character should not be perfect, rather
should reflect humanity, exposing his/her flaws.

Each of these devices should be developed so they
seem natural to the character. Throughout, reveal the character’s emotions. The
more s/he feels hurt, angry, disappointed, the more the reader is attuned to
the problems.

Call for Submissions for Young and Adult Writers:

Skipping Stones: An international publication
for readers 8-16 that celebrates ecological and cultural diversity and
facilitates a meaningful exchange of ideas and experiences by publishing
essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, etc.

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About Me

My route to writing children’s books has more twists and turns than a winding mountain road. I worked as a social worker and traveled many a winding road, uphill and down, around Hazard, Kentucky. Later, I became an elementary school teacher, and then a school librarian. After spending days introducing books to children, I spent nights writing books for them. At this point I have written over 30 picture books, one chapter book, and one middle grade novel. I have a master’s degree in Education from Morehead State University and a master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky. Home is still in Kentucky in the log cabin in which I grew up. My husband, Larry, and I share our cabin with two canine writer assistants, Jazi and Roxi.